Garment



wrrNEss Z4(4 Dec. 3, 1929. N HATCH 1,737,882

GARMENT Filed Feb. 2, 1928 :mu/l f Q. @f /llr 'A ,if Z5 ATTORNEY @wf BY wm Patented Dec. 3, 1929 UNTED 1STATES NATHAN HATCH, QF ALBANY, 'YORK ,GARMENT APP-lisation filed February 2, 1,928-

My invention relates to trunks for athletic or'gyinnasiurn wear and particularly `to the type of trunks known as running track pants.

5 Trunks forhathletic wear have heretofore .been made with a front closure extending from the waistband to the crotch, and fastened by means of buttons which, when buttoned, are concealed in a vcovering flap. When trunks are Worn for certain sports or athletic exercises, such for example as wrestling, the outer or overlapping `edge of the ,closnre of this type is apt to be 'accidentally 4caught and pulled sidewise by an opponent and, in such event, the closure may become unbuttoned and thus opened.

The object of my invention is to provide trunks suitable for athletic wear in which the front lap is eliminated and provides a smooth front, free from any closure that is liable to be caught and pulled open.

Another -object of my invention is ,to provide trunks of the type indicated ef a simple construction, that permits vgreat freedom in the body movements of the wearer.

With these and ,other obj ects in view, which will be apparent from the following description, the invention ycomprises the trunks described and claimed in the following specifi- .30 cation and claims.

` The various features of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which: y

Fig. 1 is a vertical, front view of a pair .of trunks embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, detail view .of a portion of the waistband and the part .of ,the trunks immediately above the hips of the wearer, and vshowin T a closure in opened p osition.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the closure in closed position.

Fig. t is a sectional view, taken ,on Iline 4-4 vof Fig. 3.

In my present invention, I provide trunks having a smooth, uninterrupted surface and having no closure below the upper edges of the hips; The trunks are provided with a waistband having elastic portions suitably positioned to expand or contract as the body Serie! No, 251,323.-

muscles o f the wearer relay; or contractduring movement or exercise. These `elastic portions are positioned one at each side, inimed'iately above the `liip opening portions of the trunks. The npper part ofthe trunks immediately ,below the elastic portions are gathered v in towards the elastic parts to permit the p art of the trunks lying fon the upper edge of the hips to expandiand' c ontract'with the movement Aof the muscles and with the expansion and contraction of the waistband.

,While permitting freedom of body Inovement, this construction also holds the portion of the garment on the upper edges of the liips tightly O Il the body of the wearer and thus obv-lates the necessity of wearing a belt.

To ermt the trunks to be' donned and dotted., the waistband is separable Where the elastic parts join the frontpart of the waistband, [and the upper portions of the trnnks are slit lrdown-wardly a short distance from this juncture towards the upper edges ,of the hips in such a manner that when the waistband is secured in position, these slits are held closed and in position to ayoid opening or being engaged or caught byv an opponent, or .other-wise.

' Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawing, the trunks are ,formed of a ysheet or sheets of fabric c ut in a suitable pattern and sewed'to forni leg portions 10 and Y ll and a part l2 ,to enclose and @over the hips ofthe wearer. The fabric may b e cnt in two parts joined at the front by a yvertical seam 13, at the rear by a corresponding seam, not shown and at thelegs by seams 14 and 15.

If desired, ,the ,entire trunks, ,may be mad@ 0f a sin le sheet Yof fabric cut to such a pattern that 1t may be formed into the trunks a single seam at the rear, thus eliminating the front seam 13, or the .trunks may be made of vfour pieces, providing seams at each side. The seam land the .other seams are all tightly Vsewed to join the fabric in an integral manner about the hip portions so that there 'is no part that ,can be opened without .tearing the fabric er ripping e Seam- The waistband Qi' the trunks comprises e front segment 16 and rear segment 17, each yof which extends to within alittle less than ico one-half of the circuinfeience of the waistband. These portions 16 and 17 are integrally attached at their lower edges to the upper part of the trunk portions by permanent seams 18, thus providing a smooth and unwrinkled surface for the front and rear portions of the garment. Elastic waistband portions 19 and 20, of the saine width as the portions 16 and 17, are secured to the ends of the rear portion 17 to forman extension thereof, and are provided at their free or front ends with buttons 21 and 22 positioned to button into corresponding buttonholes 23 and 24 positioned at each end of the front portion 16.

It will be obvious that other suitable `fastening means may be used, although the two buttons and buttonholes arranged in the manner shown, are preferable. j4

The trunks fabric is gatheredV or shirred, as at 25 in an elastic seam throughoutthe length of the elastic portions 19 and 20, so that the elastic may expand and contract readily, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 8. This-gathering or shirring also provides the necessary fullness on the upper edges'of the hips and enables the band to be drawn inwardly so as to hold the garment on the body.

To enable the garmentrto be donned and dotted when the buttons 21 and 22 are unbuttoned, the trunk portion is slit, at 26 and 27, downwardly at the end edges of the front portion 16 of the waistband, a facing 28 being provided for each side of the slit so that when the waistband sections are buttoned in closed position, this facing will double up and form a flatly folded closure. Y The slits 26 and 27 are preferably inclined very slightly rearwardly, as indicated in Fig. 3, as this tends to hold the closure more tightly together. The slits 26 and 27 are of such short length and are so positioned that they do not tend to open. They are also preferably so arranged that the front part of the trunks attached to the front waistband portion 16 overlaps the rear part and, therefore, cannot be caught or engagedA by anything moving across the front portion of the trunks, or from the front portion to the side.

The buttonholes 23 and 2d `are preferably arranged lengthwise of the waistband, as this arrangement tends to hold the buttons from unbuttoning, even though the slots 2G or 27 should be engaged and pulled.

Thus, it willl be apparent that the usual front closure in athletic trunks has been avoided and the danger of accidental opening of the trunks at this part eliminated. This closure has been replaced by a pair of slits at the hip portions suiicient to enable the garment to be donned and dolfed, but which slits are of such size and so inaccessibly placed as to afford slight, if any, opportunity for engagement and pulling open. However, should the garment be torn in such manner,

tended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. Trunks of the type described having leg portions and parts covering, and extending above, the hips, said trunks having a short, vertical closure on each side immediately in front, and'at the upper edges, of the hip portions, said trunks extending uninterruptedly and unbrokenly at the front and rear from the closure on one side to the closure on the other side, a waistband, said waistband having a front section extending integrally from one of said slits tothe other, a rear waistband section extending integrally at the rear of said trunks, elastic portions secured one to each end of said rear section, means for de-` tachably securing the front edges of said elastic portions to the rear portions of said front section, said trunks being smoothly secured to said front and rear sections and being secured to said elastic portions in gathers to permit expansion and contraction.

2. Trunks of the type described having leg portions and parts covering and extending above the hip portions, said trunks being integral throughout the circumference ofthe hip portions but having short, vertical closures extending downwardly and inclined slightly rearwardly on each side immediately in front of and at the upper edges of the hip portions, a waistband, said waistband having Va front section extending integrally from one of said slits to the other, a rear waistband section extending integrally at the rear of said trunks, and elastic portions secured one to each end of said rear section, said front section overlapping said elastic sections, buttons and button holes securing said elastic sections, to said front sect-ion, said buttonholes running lengthwise of said waistband, said trunks being secured flatly to said front and rear sections and being secured to said elastic portions in gathers to permit expansion and contraction.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ail-ix my signature.

NATHAN HATCH. 

